Brake beam with guide lug



W. H. BASELT BRAKE BEAM WITH GUIDE LUG 7 March 7, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 6, 1946 \wmmum/v v I. HHMWHHHHH WWM M W. A l xvQ L N 4 March 7, 1950 w. H. BASELT BRAKE BEAM WITH GUIDE LUG 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6, 1946 March 7, 1950 w. H. BASELT BRAKE BEAM WITH GUIDE LUG 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 6, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

March 7, 1950 w. H. BASELT 2,499,899

BRAIE BEAM WITH GUIDE LUG Filed July 6, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

Patented, Mar. 7, 1950 II I I 2,499,899 v I I BRAKEBEAMWITHGUIDELUG 7 I j Walter mm; Flossmoor, 111., assignortb American Steel Foundries, Chicago, 1 11., a cor- I v poratlon of New Jersey Application July 6, 1946, Serial No. 681,637

15 Claims. (Cl. 188-2225) This invention relates to railway brake equip ment and more particularly to a novel truss type brake beam. 1 I I, I I

A general object of the invention is to design a novel brake beam wherein the truss structure and brake head are formed as a single casting.

Another object of the invention is to provide an integrally cast guide lugfon the outboard surfaceof each brakehead for the purpose of supportin the beam from an associated support structure such as a guide bracket on an car truck,

Another object of the invention is to design a beamsuchias above described wherein the component parts are so formed and arranged as to afford maximum strength and minimum weight Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a recess or pocket in'each of the brake beam guides lugs inboardlyofv the extremity thereof for the purpose of reducing the mass of metalto promote solidity of the, casting at afcritical point whereat the beam issupportedintorque engagement with the fear truck, These pockets are also adaptedto receive foreign matter which may collect within the support brackets for the beam; thus reducing theten'dency for such matter to cause a jamming of the guide lugs in said brackets. v ,c

other objects and. advan- The foregoing and tages of the invention willbec'ome apparent from a consideration ofthe'following' specification and the accompanying drawings wherein: I

Figurel is a fragmentary top planjvlew of 'a preferred embodiment of the invention, portions of'the beam beingbroken away Figure 2 is a front view of the structure shown inFigurel; v

Figure 3. is an 'end viewof the structure shown in Figures 1 and 2 and Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional'viewstaken respectively in the planes indicated by the line, 4-94 of Figure 3 andi-B'o'fFigfirlgj i a 'f I j I a Figure 6 is afra'gmentary top plan viewiof a modification of theinventiom. f 3 1 Figure 7 isfaffront view of the'structure shown inFi urefi; a J 3 Eigur'e' 8is' an endvie'wlo f the structure shown ifiQFigllre's 62 d? 'T I v Figure s' IO' 'arej ira/m entaryfsectional views taken; respectively 'in 'fthefplanes indicated b b'l n s 9- qrr i aan -m; s Figure I F ure 1'. airflmmtw P 'v 'w '61 a other embodiment of the invention; Figure 12 is a front yiew of the structure-sliown associated railway Figure 13 lsian end view ofthe'structure shown I inFlgures'11 and12. n I I Describing the invention in detail and referrin first toQthe embodiment illustrated in- Figures 1-5 lnclusive,..the novel brake beam comprises a T-section compression member 2 including a longitudinal vertical web 4 forming the head of said T and a longitudinal horizontal web 6 forming the leg of the T. [The web 6 merges with a tension member 1 in a gusset B forming a con tinuation of the web 6, and both of the webs 4 and 6, as well as the tensionmmberlmerge with a vertical wall or Web ID integrally formed on the rear surface of the front wall 12 of a conventional I brake head 14 formed'on each end of the b'eafm.

Onlyfone of the 'brake heads I4 is show'nin; Figure '1 inasmuch as the beam'is substantially identical at opposite ends "thereof," The brake head is formed with a conventional keyway 'IB for:

the reception of associated key means' (not shown)v for securing an associated brake shoe (nots'hown) to the front face of the brake head wanlz. i a

Therea r surface of the brake head wall I! and the, outboard surface of the web It! areintegrally formed with'a guide lug 2!) preferably disposedin a 'diag'onal'plane and adapted for reception within an associated support bracket (notshown); The lug, 20 'is provided with "substantially identic'al top and bottom recesses "adapted to lighten,

the beam. and to formconvenient pockets for'the accommodation of foreign matter which may collect in the associated guide bracket, thus re; ducing'the tendency of such matter to colleet'in the bracket forwardly of the lug'ZO thereby re? stricting forward movement of the beam. {The recesses 22 are preferably terminated inbo'ardly of the outboard extremity of the lug '20', sothat the latter bears at its outboard end against the associated'support 'bracket along an uninterruptsurface, I t husFpreventing gouging of" the bracket. I efir ing to Figure 2, "it maybe noted that the lug'iflfis tapered at 24 at its'inboard end to "afford a strong-cqnnectionto thebrake-head. I By means of this-"construction a relatively strong'fa'nd light guideline" strubturefis providedresulting i-n'a substahtial 'economy'in the-manufacture'of; the beam. For a similar purpose -the "tension member I v is taper'e acre-at its point of "connection-to the compression member is similarly tapered as' i dibated atifl-(Figure 29; a 'Referring no'v'v'to'Figure 5;it will be seen that the web 6 of" the compression*=member- -2'- tegrally formed with a vertical wall or web 30 intermediate the ends of the beam to afford a connection to the horizontal and vertical walls I! and It of a strut II which is connected between the tension and compression members I and I. as best seen in Figure 1. The strut It is provided with a brake lever slot 38 and a pinopening ll traversing said slot and adapted for the reception of a pin (not shown) adapted to afford a fulcrum for the brake lever (not shown). The strut It is connected at its forward or front end to the tension member by horizontal and vertical webs or walls 42 and M respectively.

Thus it will be seen that I have devised a novel brake beam in which all of the component parts are integrally formed as a single casting so constructed as to afford maximum strength with minimum weight.

Referring now to the modifled embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 6-10 inclusive,

it will be understood that the beam therein shown is substantially identical with that of Figures 1-5 except that the tension member I is a .T-section member and the pocket 22 in the bottom of the lug It is eliminated. Referring to Figure 6, it will be seen that the tension member I com-. prises a vertical web merging with the front wall If of the brake head It and a horizontal wall or web ii merging with the web 6 of the compression member 2. The parts of this beam corresponding to those of the beam shown in Figures 1-5 inclusive are identifled by corresponding numerals.

Another embodiment of my novel brake beam is shown in Figures 11-13 wherein the beam is similar to that shown'in Figures 1-5 except that the guide lug 2| is provided on its top surface with a flange 4t merging with a portion ll of the vertical web 4 of the compression member 2 at a point outboardly of the brake head wall II. In this embodiment of the invention the pockets or recesses 22 are terminated outboardly of the plane of the flange it which serves a dual function of reinforcing the juncture of the lug II and the associated beam parts and of aifording a stop adapted for engagement with the outboard surface of the associated truck frame bracket to limit outboard movement of the beam relative to the truck frame, thereby preventing a binding action of the lug II within the bracket.

It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited by the exact embodiments of the device shown which is merely by way of illustration and not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A steel railway brake beam casting comprising a truss having a compression member, a tension member, a brake head with a forward wall adapted to carry associated brake shoe means on its forward surface and a substantially vertical rear wall merging at its forward edge with the rear surface of said forward wall, said compression member having a T-section with a vertical rear web forming the head of the T and merging with the rear edge of said rear wall, said tension member being of greater thickness than the leg of said T-section and merging with the inboard edge of said forward wall and with the leg of said T-section, and a guide lug merging with the outboard surface of said rear wall and extending forwardly therealong from a point in longitudinal alignment with the head of said T-section totheoutboardedgsofsaidfrontwamsaidlu extending outboardly of the outboard margin of said front wall and presenting top and bottom guide surfaces for cooperation with an associated truck frame bracket. 7

2. A brake beam comprising a single castin includingabrakehead withafrontwallanda substantially vertical rear wall merging therewith and extending rearwardly therefrom and approximately perpendicularly with respect thereto, a compression member with a substantially vertical web merging with said rear wall, said member having a substantially horizontal web, a tension member merging with said horizontal web and with both of said walls, a guide lug integrally formed on the outboard face of said rear wall for reception within an associated support structure, and a pocket in at least one of the top and bottom surfaces of said lug spaced from the outboard end thereof and adapted to accommodate foreign matter collected within said structure.

3. A brake beam according to claim 2 wherein the lug slopes upwardly and forwardly, and the vertical web of the compression member extends outboardly beyond the rear wall of the brake head, and a flange is provided on the outboard end of said vertical web, said flange merging with the top of the lug inboardly of the pocket and being spaced from and generally parallel to the rear wall of the brake head.

4. A steel railway brake beam comprising a truss having a compression member, a tension member, a brake head with a forward wall adapted to carryassociated brake shoe means on its forward surface and a substantially vertical rear wall merging at its forward edge with the rear surface of said forward wall. said compression'member having a T-section with a substantially vertical rear web forming the head of said T-section and merging with the rear edge of said rear wall, said tension member being of greater thickness than the leg of said T-section and being flared at the outboard end of said tension member, said outboard end of the tension member merging with the inboard edge of the front wall, with the inboard surface of the rear wall, and with the leg of said T-section at a point closely adjacent the head thereof, and a guide lug merging with the outboard surface of said rear wall and extending from the rear edge thereof to the juncture with said front wall and extending outboardly from the outboard margin of said front wall to afford top and bottom guide surfaces outboardly thereof for cooperation with an associated truck frame bracket, the head of said T- section extending outboardly beyond said rear wall and being formed with a flange approximately parallel to and spaced from the rear wall and merging with the lug.

5. A brake beam comprising a single casting including tension and compression members merged at their ends to form a truss, a brake head at each end of said truss comprising a front wall merging with the tension member, said head including a rear wall extending angularly from the front wall and merging with the compression member, a guide lug formed on the outboard face of said rear wall and adapted for cooperation with an associated support structure, and pockets in the top and bottom of said lug spaced from the outboard extremity thereof and adapted to accommodate foreign matter collecting in said structure.

6. A steel railway brake beam casting comprising a truss having a T-section compression memher having front and rear webs defining respectively a leg and head of said T, a tension member, a brake head with a forward wall adapted to carry associated brake shoe means on the forward surface thereof, said brake head having a substantially vertical rear wall merging at its forward edge with the rear surface of said forward wall and merging at the rear edge of said rear wall with the rear web, a flat guide lug merging with the outboard surface of said rear wall and sloping upwardly and forwardly in a plane diagonal to the plane of the truss, the rear web extending outboardly beyond the outboard surface of said rear wall, and a flange spaced from said rear wall and connecting the outboard extremity of said rear web to the top surface of said lug at a point spaced inboardly from the outboard extremity thereof, and top and bottom guide surfaces on said lug spaced outboardly of said flange.

7. A unit brake beam formed as a single casting comprising a compression member having a T-section portion, a tension member merging with said portion, a brakehead comprising a forward wall with a brake shoe engaging surface on the forward face thereof, a vertical Wall merging with saidforward wall and with at least one of said members, and a guide lug merging with the outboard face of said wall and with at least one of said members, said lug being tapered outboardly of said rear wall at the inboard extremity of said lug.

8. A unit brake beam according to claim wherein the T-section portion of the compression member includes a substantially vertical web extending outboardly of the vertical brake head wall, and said web is provided with a flange spaced from and extending generally parallel to said vertical brake head wall.

9. A unit brake beam according to claim '7 wherein the tension member is of T-section and comprises a substantially vertical web forming the head of its T and connected to the inboard edge of the forward wall of the brake head.

10. A unit brake beam according to claim 7 wherein the portion of the tension member which merges with the T-section portion of the compression member is flared in width and tapered in thickness toward the brake head walls.

11. A brake beam casting comprising tension and compression members, a brake head with a substantially vertical rear wall integrally formed therewith and a front wall integrally formed with said rear wall, and a guide lug integrally formed with the outboard surface of the rear wall and with the rear surface of the front wall and extending outboardly from said head to afford support for said beam from an associated support structure, the lug being provided with a pocket in the top surface thereof, said pocket being spaced from the outboard extremity of said lug to afford substantially continuous bearing through the breadth thereof at said extremity against said support structure.

12. A brake beam casting comprising tension and compression members, a brake head with a substantially vertical rear wall merging with said members, a guide lug merging with the outboard face of said wall, said guide lug having top and bottom surfaces, and a pocket in at least one of said surfaces spaced from the outboard end thereof.

13. A brake beam casting according to claim 12 wherein the compression member comprises a web extending outboardly of the rear brake head wall and said web is formed with a flange spaced from said wall outboardly thereof and merging with the top of the lug.

14. A brake beam casting according to claim 12 wherein the brake head comprises a front wall and the tension member is of T-section with a front substantially vertical web merging with the inboard edge of the forward brake head wall.

15. A brake beam casting according to claim 12 wherein the brake head comprises a front wall and the tension member is flared in width towards its outboard end which merges with both brake head Walls and is tapered in thickness towards its merger with said walls.

WALTER H. BASELT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

